These music critics from Chicago’s biggest newspapers, Greg Kott and Jim DeRogatis, serve up their passionate rants about music, interview artists, and dissect new or classic albums. It’s a good way to learn about music new and old and also fun to mutter disagreements with them while riding your bike, on the subway, or in taxis.

If you are into the African Diaspora and want to hear more, this is the place. They usually have short episodes focusing on one area of the world. The host, Georges Collinet, sounds like he is broadcasting in a parody of a French accent, but he is not, I assure you.

Although Bob Boilen has taken some heat over accusations that he caters to indie rockers and white people over others (maybe it’s not all songs considered), he and his staff take an in-depth look into a lot of music. Don’t know what else to tell you.

One of the coolest music mags there is, period, the end. This is a cool podcast because you can get .pdf copies of the magazine itself for free along with the show. One downside is that there is no commentary inside the podcast, so it’s hard to know who the artists are while you’re listening. Still worth a perusal, though.

These are the guys who sent Shanghai Samiyam and Gaslamp Killer, plus the aborted Flying Lotus show. The show offers mixes from different members of the Brainfeeder family. It’s some of the artiest hip hop around.

Finally, we can’t forget about our hometown boys, who keep their eyes and ears (mostly) open to what’s going on right here in Shanghai, musically-speaking. This is a great one to find out about gigs going on and Chinese bands. That is the focus. Nothing more, nothing less.